Discount Tire
Active Member
The 2014 JK Experience was a great event! We know Eddie and Cindy are already hard at work editing the latest footage from the 2014 Off Road Evolution Jk Experience Presented by Nitto Tire. They do a great job with the play by play so we'll leave that to them however, in all fun, we thought everyone would enjoy the little "Survivor Report" we decided to put together.
***All other attendees or sponsors are invited to join in on this thread and post their own "Survivor Report". I'm sure we're not the only ones that would enjoy reading them.
***
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"SURVIVOR" REPORT:::
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Discount Tire RESQ1's Survivor Assessment - 2014 Off Road Evolution JK Experience Presented by Nitto Tire - Pacific Northwest Tour
Upon returning from the 2014 JK Experience we took RESQ1 for a much needed deep cleaning. We washed, and washed, and washed...and washed. Finally, the last few layers of the Pacific Northwest broke free and we took a step back to evaluate the damage. Here's what we found..
GUTS
TIRES
INTERIOR
RECOVERY GEAR
EXTERIOR
FINAL ASSESSMENT & THOUGHTS
END REPORT
***All other attendees or sponsors are invited to join in on this thread and post their own "Survivor Report". I'm sure we're not the only ones that would enjoy reading them.
*** _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"SURVIVOR" REPORT:::
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Discount Tire RESQ1's Survivor Assessment - 2014 Off Road Evolution JK Experience Presented by Nitto Tire - Pacific Northwest Tour
Upon returning from the 2014 JK Experience we took RESQ1 for a much needed deep cleaning. We washed, and washed, and washed...and washed. Finally, the last few layers of the Pacific Northwest broke free and we took a step back to evaluate the damage. Here's what we found..
GUTS
Although RESQ1's overheating issues are a thing of the past, RESQ1's power plant couldn't have been happier to be in the cool temps of the Pacific Northwest. RESQ1 loved the crisp clean air and after dropping over 3,300lbs with the swap of a new bed, it acted like a spry new machine out on the trail. RESQ1's motor, cooling systems, drive train, and suspension suffered no damages during the event. We couldn't say the same last year so that's certainly a WIN!
TIRES
RESQ1's 40" Nitto Trail Grapplers proved to be dominant over the Pacific Northwest terrain. There were many occasions where we found ourselves cringing as we slid into exposed tree roots and pushed through sharp rocks that wanted to cut our tire sidewalls. From deep rutted, slippery logging roads, to high mountain "moon rocks", then high desert sand dunes, and finally sandy Oregon beaches, our Nitto Trail Grapplers never let us down.
INTERIOR
RESQ1's interior was relatively damage free unless you consider all the foreign objects that needed to be removed...
Cascade Dirt and Mud - Sticky and slippery when wet, loves to bury itself into anything fabric and clings onto anything metal and plastic as if its infused with some sort of gorilla tape. Although difficult to remove, with enough convincing (elbow grease, high pressure water, soap and time) we were able to rid our vehicle and personal belongings of it. That's not to say it was easy.
Moses Lake Sand - Not as fluffy as the southwest variety, it still somehow ended up in our ears, eyes and nose. After cleaning our own bodies we made sure to clean out the vents BEFORE we turned on the A/C or heater. (been there, done that) Nothing spoils your clean smile and dust free interior faster than turning on your dusty vents.
Moon Rocks? - Tan in color, a little like grit from a piece of 80 grit sandpaper... Looks something like this in its natural environment.
Beef, Trail Mix, Wasabi chips, nuts - If you have kids you might find french fries, raisins, cheerios and crackers... We found pieces of beef jerky, traces of trail mix, some odd flavored potato chips and a few corn nuts. With about two dozen fuel stops, road snacks found their way into every seam of the interior. Luckily no snacks are permanently affixed to the interior after a good vacuuming.
Cascade Dirt and Mud - Sticky and slippery when wet, loves to bury itself into anything fabric and clings onto anything metal and plastic as if its infused with some sort of gorilla tape. Although difficult to remove, with enough convincing (elbow grease, high pressure water, soap and time) we were able to rid our vehicle and personal belongings of it. That's not to say it was easy.
Moses Lake Sand - Not as fluffy as the southwest variety, it still somehow ended up in our ears, eyes and nose. After cleaning our own bodies we made sure to clean out the vents BEFORE we turned on the A/C or heater. (been there, done that) Nothing spoils your clean smile and dust free interior faster than turning on your dusty vents.
Moon Rocks? - Tan in color, a little like grit from a piece of 80 grit sandpaper... Looks something like this in its natural environment.
Beef, Trail Mix, Wasabi chips, nuts - If you have kids you might find french fries, raisins, cheerios and crackers... We found pieces of beef jerky, traces of trail mix, some odd flavored potato chips and a few corn nuts. With about two dozen fuel stops, road snacks found their way into every seam of the interior. Luckily no snacks are permanently affixed to the interior after a good vacuuming.
RECOVERY GEAR
Our WARN winch pulled RESQ1 out of a bind twice on the trip. Once when we decided to partake in a little Pacific Northwest lumber jacking....
...and once when we tried to follow Mel Wade down into a deep mud hole; even after watching two others get winched out.
After re-spooling the cable and cleaning out the mud, our WARN winch is ready for more.
...and once when we tried to follow Mel Wade down into a deep mud hole; even after watching two others get winched out.
After re-spooling the cable and cleaning out the mud, our WARN winch is ready for more.
EXTERIOR
So lets just start by saying... there were a lot of trees - A LOT.
Hardtop - A few deep scratches and one decent tree kiss to the upper rear driver side corner...Maybe its time for a soft top.
New Bed - Tire rub took the paint clean off in a few spots and one particular mud hole pinched RESQ1's passenger side rear fender in toward the tire. A stout tree branch was the perfect tool for the fix.
Truck-Lite Military Tail Lights - We can't fault the lights for their location on RESQ1 but we can fault our drivers, to some extent, for smashing them. With the number of three-point turns RESQ1 had to make while threading through the pines, it was inevitable that we'd touch a blind tree or two. Our lack of a rear window didn't help our drivers either. Our next set of rear Truck-Lites will likely be mounted flush with a tail gate.
Cab/Body - Did we mention how many trees there are in the Pacific Northwest!? Yes we did but we didn't mention how close they are together.... Ok, add rain to an off camber heavily treed 4x4 trail and what do you get? Two front doors with dents from the side mirrors getting squished. Hind sight is 20/20. Yes, we should have removed the mirrors... but hey, if we're thinking about a soft top, we should be thinking about 1/2 doors too right?
Hardtop - A few deep scratches and one decent tree kiss to the upper rear driver side corner...Maybe its time for a soft top.
New Bed - Tire rub took the paint clean off in a few spots and one particular mud hole pinched RESQ1's passenger side rear fender in toward the tire. A stout tree branch was the perfect tool for the fix.
Truck-Lite Military Tail Lights - We can't fault the lights for their location on RESQ1 but we can fault our drivers, to some extent, for smashing them.
With the number of three-point turns RESQ1 had to make while threading through the pines, it was inevitable that we'd touch a blind tree or two. Our lack of a rear window didn't help our drivers either. Our next set of rear Truck-Lites will likely be mounted flush with a tail gate.
Cab/Body - Did we mention how many trees there are in the Pacific Northwest!? Yes we did but we didn't mention how close they are together.... Ok, add rain to an off camber heavily treed 4x4 trail and what do you get? Two front doors with dents from the side mirrors getting squished. Hind sight is 20/20. Yes, we should have removed the mirrors... but hey, if we're thinking about a soft top, we should be thinking about 1/2 doors too right?
FINAL ASSESSMENT & THOUGHTS
When can we do it again?
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END REPORT
